Airport Call from Elder Christensen - December 27, 2010

Garrett called us from the Los Angeles airport tonight.  He has a six hour layover there, then he has a 15 hour flight to Hong Kong, then a couple of hours to Manila and then an hour or so to Iloilo.  It was so good to hear his voice.  He is happy to be leaving and to start his adventure in the Philippines.  Here are some of the things we talked about.
He loved his two teachers at the MTC.  He said they were young return missionaries and they made learning fun and he hopes to keep in contact with them.
His district at the MTC is 10 missionaries who all room together.  Then there are around 5 districts in his zone.  His zone is going to Manila and Iloilo.  They all learned to speak Tagalog.
He said some of the families met their missionaries at the Salt Lake Airport.  He was surprised that the families did this since they were asked not to.
He didn't have a time limit on his call.
He asked about college and pro football.
He feels really bad that he can't call Kyle or James from the airport.  He didn't find out that he couldn't call them until yesterday. 
He asked me to be sure they know how to access this blog.
He said that he isn't allowed to call from the Philippines, but someone will call or e-mail us to let us know he arrived okay.
Once he gets to Iloilo he will learn Illogono which is the language they speak there.  Knowing Tagalog will help him.
He bore his testimony in Tagalog.  It was amazing!
He asked about the flooding in St. George and the war between East and West Korea.  He said they don't hear anything about what is going on in the world in the MTC. 
He stopped talking with me during our call and he gave a Sister missionary one of his calling cards so that she could call home.
He asked about his dog.
He told Breck that he could use his snowboarding equipment.
He talked with Macy about her EMT classes.
He told us that Missionaries who are in the Iloilo mission told him they live in "huts" and ride in canoes to get around. 
He said several of the missionaries had never travelled before and that he helped them.
He gave a priesthood blessing to a misisonary that asked for one.  He said it was kind of like a father would give his son on the first day of school.
After the call Cliff cried.  I felt good -- no tears for me.  My tears usually come during church or at some unexpected time like right now.....
I'm so proud to be Garrett's mom.  I know he will be a great missionary.

9th letter from MTC - December 27, 2010

Hey everyone! It is 6:45 in the morning and we are down doing our laundry. It is insane that we leave today. We leave the MTC at 11:30 so we have a few hours. I have been getting everything packed and I think I am just going to make weight limits haha. It has been fun packing knowing that the next time I unpack will be on an island in the Philippines. I have really been enjoying the MTC. I am going to really miss it, good food, good schedule, good teachers, great speakers and stuff.

Christmas day we had Russell M. Nelson of the Twelve come speak and he also did a priesthood meeting. Last night I got the chance to do my first ever priesthood blessing. It was really cool. I wrote you all (Mom, Dad, Mace, Breck & Britt) on Christmas day and I am sending a package home with stuff I didn't have room for and Christmas presents for you all.

Travis Reynolds wrote me and that was really cool to hear what he had to say about his mission. I am really going to try and embrace the culture. I think it will be way different but the faster I become one of them, the faster I will be happy and comfortable. I hope the food doesn't wreck my stomach haha. Sorry I am kind of running out of things to say...next week I will have plenty of things haha. umm..The language is going well although I will have to learn something else. But the only difference is the vocabulary, so all the gramar principles are the same so that's good cuz they are what I have been working hardest on.

There are like 30 of us in the same travel group so I will call but I am not going to hog all the time. We will see how many phones there are. We aren't allowed to call from Hong Kong, so just SLC and LA...Also I can only call immediate family which I didn't know about. So tell like Kyle and James I am really sorry because I was going to call them too. Please text them this morning (or have Macy) to tell them I cannot call them, unless while you and I are on the phone you want to call them and I will talk to them through the two phones haha. Well I will be as safe as possible and probably even have some conversions on the plane haha :)

I Love You!

PS...in the package I am sending is my grey pants and coat. I ripped the butt on the pant. If they can be fixed sweet but if not I guess do whatever with them. Love ya. Talk to you soon

8th letter from the MTC - December 20, 2010

Hey everyone!

 

How is everything going? Things here are awesome and I am loving it more and more every day I am here. We got our flight plans the other day and I am stoked but pretty scared at the same time.We fly out of SLC at 3 on the 27th, then to LAX where we have a six hour layover, then to Hong Kong, then Manila then Iloilo. Pretty long day haha about a 30 hour trip overall. I assume LAX is when I will be able to call you but who knows. I got those calling cards today so thank you dad.

 

Things are starting to get kind of weird. Both of my teachers are out of town for the holidays so we are kind of on our own now haha. The language is awesome and I am really enjoying learning it. I am by no means fluent but can communicate pretty well I think. The words might be conjugated a bit of or in the wrong order but I think I pretty much have most of it down. I have been learning so so much from the scriptures and Preach My Gospel, too, it is insane.

 

It has been snowing the last couple days here. It is snowing hard right now. But it has been so warm that it doesn't all stick, and it is slush. The temple is now closed for Christmas so we can't go anymore. I am starting to put a box together to send back home. There are a few christmas goodies for everyone but to be honest there isn't anything good to send you for Christmas so when I get to the Philippines I will see if I can send you a late chrismas present? Sorry...

I cant believe Trevor is getting married. yikes! And when you told me you went to "travis's" homecoming...both of you accidentally said Trevor haha. I hope it was good. Right now I am just on the computer as my laundry is in. I am glad Mom made me do my own laundry because there are some kids here that are clueless. I got a lot of Christmas cards and stuff this week. I tried to mail everyone but tell everyone thanks for the support! I have awesome family and people around me! Mauri has mailed me Taylors letters and stuff and they are really fun to read. I hope Britt is having a good holiday break and loving the cold weather.

I love you all.

nagpapasalamat ako para sa pinakamagandang pamilya

7th Letter from the MTC - Dec 13, 2010

Hey Everyone! This week went pretty well. We are teaching all in Tagalog and it is pretty hard since we have such a limited vocabulary but it is really fun to be learning so much.


 

Last night the BYU mens choir came and sang to us. It was...ehhh. Haha you know I am not a huge music fan in general, nor am I a BYU fan so I just read the whole time as opposed to listening for an entire hour.

I have been getting significantly better at Tagalog and can say and understand almost anything I want. Whether it is correct is a different issue. 


 

A kid from my zone that already left to Iloilo e-mailed me and said that he lives in a small hut and they speak Hiligaynon, so they don't even speak the language we learn here. He also said he has to cross rivers and stuff to get to his investigator's houses. It sounds awesome haha.


 

We get our flight plans sometime this week so I will let you know what our flight plan is like next Monday. I feel like I am beating a dead horse haha cuz every week is the same. There isnt really much to say.....um....


 

Elder Peterson and I made a home gym in our dorms with a bucket used for mopping, and some cleaning supplies haha. I will take photos. I will send all the stuff I'm not taking to Iloilo home when I get to it... probably next P day. I know it is kind of procrastinating but oh well. 


 

I hope everything went well in SLC this weekend. Kyle sent me a package with some pumpkin chocolate cookies and they were awesome haha. I also am excited to get to start opening your 12 days of Christmas gifts tomorrow. They have been unopened and sitting on the counter forever haha.


 

I am really starting to get close to the people in my district so it will be weird to leave but oh well. I am kind of sick of some people here. Like I swear they are 12 but oh well I have been trying to be patient. Our teachers are really awesome too so it will be weird to say bye to everyone.

I got Britt's letter and it was awesome! I will write her back today in the mail.

Please get those calling cards if you can because I forgot to buy some before I left. Sorry Mom! Other than that everything is going really well, no complaints...Just trying to learn as fast as I can and use every second I have here before I get into the real world haha and cant understand anyone.

The ipod is awesome too! who would have ever thought I would actually be happy to listen to Josh Groban and actually like it. Yikes! But it is actually really nice to have something to listen to.

Anyway I love you all and thanks for the support!

Mahal ko kayo!

Ingat po

6th Letter from the MTC - December 6, 2010

What what what’s up!!!

Hey, everything here is going really well! Last night we watched the first presidency Christmas devotional thing. It was pretty good. This Wednesday we taught in 100% Tagalog and it went way better than I anticipated. If you would have told me five weeks ago that I would be teaching in all Tagalog I would have laughed in your face haha, but we really are and it’s pretty fun. It is hard sometimes though because my companion would rather sleep than study so I honestly have to teach 99% of the lesson by myself while he sits there lost and then he will like bear his testimony because that is all he knows how to do. It is frustrating but I know it has helped me learn better because I know I have to do it or it won’t get done.

Yesterday was fast Sunday so we had a big mission conference at 10 then sacrament at 1:45 then study and temple walk time until dinner at 5:45. Pretty much Sunday is the only day to relax a little bit. Except we can’t write letters or anything on Sunday, so I usually just study. I sent Dad a package for his birthday so hopefully it gets there before tomorrow but if not sorry. I also sent Britt a book of Mormon story book in Tagalog that she won’t understand but it should be fun for her to have and look through.

Thank you for sending back that mission assignment card Mom. I was kind of scared it might have gotten misplaced, then I would be in trouble haha.  Missionaries from our zone are leaving today and tomorrow so it is way weird to see them leave after being here with them for six weeks. None of them are going to Iloilo so I will probably never see them again. There are two from Samoa that I have gotten pretty close with. They are way funny, they love to sing and laugh and stuff it is fun to be around them. They are also way good at volleyball so one of them would always set me for spikes and stuff, now I have nobody. I will have to do some recruiting I guess?!

Later today we are having a tennis tournament, with a bracket and everything. You might think we are lame. You come to the MTC and you will see what you do for fun haha :) I'm stoked to see how dad likes his Droid (cell phone) I can’t imagine his fingers typing on a Droid. Mine are too big and his are like double the size of mine.

We get our flight plans next week sometime so it will be exciting to get those! We either fly through Hong Kong or Taipei, Taiwan. Either should be pretty cool. I haven't heard from Britt in forever! What is she up to? How is soccer and everything?

Mom how is work going? Are you staying busy? You should go get a massage. You will have to pay for it, but you can think of it as it being on me :) 

I am glad to hear Mike Sharp is doing well. I haven't heard from him at all. Tell everyone at church hi for me too. I see Kyler Walker and Jackson Carter here all the time so they are cool to talk to. We don’t really have time to talk to people much so I usually just say hi, but I do service in Elder Carters building so I talk to him a little.

How is the Dixie basketball team doing? Getting crushed like they did in football? Taylor Webster sent me a crazy picture of an elk hunter with a cougar right behind him. It was crazy. I don’t know how to forward it or I would.

How is Dad’s shed coming along? I bet it is looking good. Oh by the way I expect Dre (my dog) to be fully trained by the time I get back.

A lady named Joclynn or JoLynne did my hair this morning and she said she grew up in Salem with Dad. She said her maiden name was Cole. She is really nice and seems to know Grandma Christensen and Evelyn pretty well. She said she saw dad at the Sunshine Tourney last year. She said "he won that BYU helmet, does he like BYU? And if he does, why do you have a Utah shirt on?" haha it was funny. It was weird getting a haircut from someone else besides Macy haha.  It seems like it wouldn't be a big deal but it is haha I don’t know how to explain how to cut my hair since I never explain it to Macy!

My teachers say it takes about two months to get a letter from USA to the Philippines. So pretty much I will only e-mail I guess. There is also a rule that all packages have to be here by the 22nd of December or we won’t get them by when we leave. I don’t really know why. I got a package from Mauri earlier that had stockings for my companion and I. It also had a bunch of treats. It was awesome and please thank her. I will try to write her today to thank her but I don’t have a ton of time. I got your package with the twelve days of Christmas. That was rude haha now I just have to look at them sitting there on the counter and not open them :)

Anyway I am out of time for now.

Love you all

5th Letter from MTC - Nov 29, 2010

Hey ya'll! I am glad to hear you got some snow! We had a big storm this weekend and got like four or five inches but that has been the only real big storm here. It is snowing lightly right now. To answer your question I will tell you my Sunday schedule.

8 breakfast

10 priesthood meeting

12 district meeting

1 lunch

1:45 sacrament (in a building at the mtc with just our zone approx. 40 people plus branch presidency)

2:45 study time or walk to the temple

5:45 dinner

7 devotional (people wait hours in line to get good seats)

8 movie (they play like BOM movies, Legacy, Testaments, etc)

9 planning

9:30 back to the dorm...

 

Sundays are nice because they are the day we can sort of relax and cool off from continual studying the whole week. The devotionals are also fun to hear someone speak. Lots of people wait hours to get seats because they dont let you in the auditorium until 6:30 but my classroom is in the building so at 6:30 our district walks out and get the best seats (haha we are cheaters).

 

Thanksgiving was awesome. We had breakfast, then a devotional that Elder Holland spoke at and it was awesome! He spoke about giving to the poor and needy and how sometimes we forget how blessed we are and why. He cited Alma 4 and Alma 34 in which it talks about how we must give to the needy and poor. He also talked to the people going to poor places and said that the best way to love them is to live with them, eat their food, sleep in their homes. It really has hit me while I have been here how blessed I have been my whole life. A lot of the kids in my district have hard stories and have had rough lives, but I have had such a perfect life. Perfect family, perfect friends, almost no trials. So I got to thinking and I really think that since our family has been so faithful and must have been very faithful in the pre earth life, that our trials are different. We are tested to see if we are willing to give to people in need, then share what we have been blessed with to the poor. And not be greedy. I think going to the Philippines will be a good start to showing me how to truly be service-minded and love people less fortunate.

 

The language is going well. We started teaching in Tagalog which is rough but from now on we can't teach in English. I am sure I slaughter the language but I try haha. It is hard sometimes because my companion is not very diligent so he is far behind everyone in the language so it is like 99% me teaching and all he can do is bear his testimony. Maybe just another trial I have been given haha.

 

How was your Thanksgiving? Hopefully everything went well and you ate plenty of food. We did a service project also on Thursday and we made 63,000 backpacks to give to poor children throughout the world with school supplies. It was fun to be a part of. Also something fun you might want to know about is that every night before bed we have a rap battle between two kids in our district. We are given a gospel subject and write a rap about it haha. It is hilarious sometimes. Also during free time, we put up a blanket in the middle of our room and play tennis with a raquetball and our hands as racquets. So yes, we get pretty bored sometimes.

 

One of these days i am going to send britt a cool book in Tagalog.

 

Anyway i gotta go so I will talk to you later.

ps I have more time so I will get on tonight and e-mail dad back.

Love you all

Mahal ko kayo

Elder Christensen

4th Letter from MTC - Nov. 22, 2010

Hey everyone I am glad all is well! Just so you all know, I do get all the letters from the post office, e-mail, and Dear Elder it is just hard finding time to respond to all of them. I can only (technically) write letters on P-days so the ones I get during the week I try to address every Monday! I am not really sure how to tell Breck to do the music. Nobody here knows. And really anything is good. It is just for when we are studying and stuff for background music and then at night we have an hour to chill at our residence and sometimes we get pretty bored so music would be nice to have on. I have been just fine without a coat so don’t worry. I always wear that black under Armor sweater we bought at the mall under my suit coat and I brought some ear muff things that I wear also.

I can’t believe Dad is finally doing the shed.  I am so impressed haha it took him until I was gone and couldn't help to start it! I did get those shirts from Mr. Mac by the way. To answer your questions about the Dear Elder letters… If you send a Dear Elder letter before noon, I will get it the next day, Monday through Thursday because they don’t do Dear Elders on Saturday. So if you write it at 11 am on Thursday, I will get it Friday at 4 pm. Hopefully that made sense and to be honest I don’t care about Dear Elder vs. normal letters. Dear Elder is faster, easier and cheaper so I would just assume do that, plus I can read all the writing haha.

700 new kids came in on Wednesday so there are like 3,000 missionaries here now. We got some new kids in our zone, 4 of which are Tongan and one red-shirted at Utah as a nose tackle! He is BIG. I haven't gotten a chance to host yet but I probably will since I am here so much longer haha. It doesn't seem like a month has already passed but we are close to the one month mark! You told me to take photos of things but in the lunchroom we aren't supposed to have cameras so I will send photos of other things. But send back that memory card when you can.

To be honest there are a few really cute sisters haha (no distractions though!) I was actually surprised but a few in my zone are really cool/pretty. I won’t even have to go to the Philippines to get my wife mom :)

The Tagalog is coming along really well! I can understand pretty much anything. Saying things is harder but I can still do it most of the time. The hardest part is conjugating verbs because English has run, ran, running....where Tagalog has like ten ways to conjugate "to run" depending on who is doing it, where you are doing it, and when you are doing it(past, present, future.) But overall it is good. This week I have to write a sacrament talk in Tagalog on baptism haha.

How are the dolphins doing? I have found that besides missing you all (family and friends) I miss football a ton!  We can’t play football here. All we can play is volleyball and basketball now because, due to the snow, the grass field is closed. To be honest it has barely snowed! Yesterday was the first real snow and there is only like one centimeter, if that.

Springdale sounded fun I bet you all had a blast!

Everyone has been amazing, I have been getting letters from lots of people back home and it makes my day for sure! I am excited for Thanksgiving because I hear they have a big devotional with one of the first presidency or one of the twelve? Either is cool.

I never told anyone back home… cuz I didn't want mom worried… but both my companion and I were really sick the last couple weeks with a cold I guess…. coughing and congestion, but we are both coming out of it now!

Anyway I gotta run, I love you all!

PS: If you have time you could send me some garments. No rush though! Also this will sound weird but could you send me a jump rope. Just a cheap one is fine but something to burn time with haha thank you. Love you all!

Britt, sorry I don’t have much time but I will write you a letter! Love you!

Also tell dad I am writing him specifically a letter but I ran out of time so you'll get to my letter Wednesday or something

3rd Letter from the MTC - Nov 15, 2010

Hey Y'all! This week was pretty good! I have been wearing the bracelet Britt gave me so thank you! It is awesome! That is so cool how it is from Hong Kong! This tuesday Elder David A. Bednar came and gave a sweet talk. I usually sit by Elder Sharp and Elder Leavitt during firesides and stuff like that where there are lots of people. They leave today which is crazy! There are like eight missionaries from my zone leaving to the Philippines today too! They seem pretty stoked about it! I know I can't wait to get out there! What is going on down in sunny St George? The weather sucks here haha to be quite frank. It is always cold. It is also always either raining or snowing so we cant enjoy outside. Last Saturday we went and sat on the far west fence and listensed to the BYU football game. The crowd and M.C. were so loud we could hear the score and when they would score and stuff. I am pretty upset about The Utah vs. Tcu game. Added to the fact that BYU won. It is good because my Branch president knows I love sports so he will give me score reports whenever I ask him! The language is so hard at times but it is coming together piece by piece. I can understand like 90% of what is being said but I just have a hard time trying to respond. I am definitely above average for our zone though so that helps my confidence a little. Really there isn't much to say haha. I feel like I am beating a dead horse because everything is the same everyday except the fireside speakers on Tuesday and Sunday. The food is still really good although some kids are starting to get sick of it (they are lame.) I haven't heard from Britt in a while so she needs to step it up! We started teaching the second lesson which is the plan of salvation this week. Everything up until now has been the restoration and stuff relating to the Book of Mormon. There are definitely kids that have a better doctrine knowledge than I do but I am learning so much it is ok! Anyway I love you guys so much and can't wait to hear from you! Love Elder Garrett Vaughn Christensen

MTC Photos 10-27-10 to 11-6-10

Elder Gregerson, my companion



Zone leader - Elder Green from New Zealand




Christensen, Green, Lowry



My mom thinks I'm the handsomest!





Elder Heather from Samoa




Our Halloween fangs
(yes, we were that bored)
Me, Bacera, Christensen, Green & Peterson

 



Me and Elder Carpio (from El Salvador)

  

Kaden Leavitt, Mike Sharp & me

  

   




Our District

    


Our District - (L-R) Coakley from New Mexico; Galloway from Carson City; Soderquist from Ogden; Me,
Peterson from South Jordan, Wilson from New York, Munk from Seattle, Carpio from El Salvador



Christensen, Green, Me







I'm going to the Philippines - Mike's going to Mississippi

 I'


Language study

 


Sisters in our zone - Anderson, Whitley, Lyman, Nielson, Kristen Danner, Farmeluia



Unloading my stuff

  



Nov. 7, 2010 - 2nd Letter from MTC

Hey everyone! This week has been really fun. Elder M. Russell Ballard came and spoke to the MTC and was great. The days are starting to get faster and faster. Today we didn't really have anything to do and it is raining hard so we have been playing volleyball, basketball, and lifting for like four hours today haha. There was a women that spoke yesterday and she was good too.

My companion is still forgetting things everywhere and making life a little difficult but it is getting better. I am getting a lot more confident teaching although we haven't taught in Tagalog yet. We start doing only Tagalog at week four, and I am kind of nervous for that!

The missionaries going to the Philippines next week have to fly from Salt lake to LA., then to Taipei Taiwan then to Manilla then to Iloilo. It’s crazy they are leaving. They are who I spend most of my time with when we are not in class.

Language is coming along pretty well, I guess. It is just so weird learning their sentence structure and stuff.

Getting letters is always fun and thank you for the package with everything. Elder Gregersen and I have already worn the ties you sent. Matter of fact, mine is on right now.

The food is still way good. I have lost three pounds since day one though.

I sent Brittney a letter today and put my camera memory card in it. I have been getting all your Dear elder letters so keep sending those. I think that’s the best for the MTC since they are free and way easier.

I am pretty upset about the Utes game. Although TCU should get more props now. Nobody here likes Utah so I have to be the ‘Lone Ranger’ sticking up for them haha it sucks. I do have a lot more sports knowledge than all of these kids though, so I burn them haha :)

We went to the temple earlier this morning and that was fun to get out of campus. I love the story of Brittney and her "hotel." I was really spoiled at home sleeping in my awesome bed. These beds are tiny and bad. I wake up daily with some kind of ache. I have used Mandi's machine a few times already. My roommate Eder Carpio hurt his back trying to block a shot of mine in basketball and he is in really bad pain. He has been going to the BYU physical therapy place every other day and he says it is awesome to get out into the real world haha. I can see how.

I have quite a few friends here like Mike Sharp and Kaden Leavitt I sit with them at firesides and stuff like that. In the letter I sent Britt with the memory card, I snapped a few photos of flowers for Breck. They are way pretty here! I can’t really think of anything I want for Christmas. I am doing really well and don’t necessarily need anything. Tell Macy I will write her tonight and send it in the morning cuz i just got her address. I hope Breck is in Europe safe and everything is going well.

I love you guys (Mahal ko kayo)

Elder Christensen

Nov. 1, 2010 - 1st Letter from MTC

Area: Mission Training Center, Provo, Utah

Companion: Elder Gregerson (Woods Cross, Utah)

Roommates: Elder Caprio (Sandy, Utah) & Elder Wilson (Watertown, NY)

Language: Tagalog

Hey everyone! Today is Monday which is my P day and it is good to finally get to write home! I got a letter from Brittney and it was good to hear from her! Well it has been pretty good so far. Not going to lie, I was pretty homesick the first couple days but it has gotten better with time.

My companion’s name is Elder Gregersen and he is from Woods Cross, Utah. Also in my room is Elder Caprio from Sandy, Utah and Elder Wilson from Watertown, NY. My companion likes other things than I do. He likes to sing and do choir and stuff. He also likes Japanese comics and stuff like that. The Elder next door (Elder Peterson) is who I try to spend a lot of time with. He played football at Bingham. My teachers are awesome. Their names are Brother Slade and Sister Maiello(my-yellow.) My Tagalog is also coming along better than I anticipated. We have already learned how to do basic prayers and also bear testimonies. We probably hack our testimonies but who knows haha. The senior companions that have been here for a few weeks are really cool. Elder Green is from New Zealand, and Elder Christensen (yes, same last name!) is from Firth, Idaho. We also have a lot of Samoans that are really loud but pretty funny most of the time.

So far the food has been really good. Everyone says they get sick of it but it has been good to me, although I am not very picky!

Yesterday was Sunday and we had a really good day. We walked to the temple and hung out there for a couple hours taking photos and playing around. Then we had sacrament and priesthood meetings. Afterwards we went to a fireside. Right after the fireside we watched a movie called "Legacy" about the pioneers and Joseph Smith.

I have seen Mike Sharp, Brock Liston and Kaden Leavitt quite a bit. It’s good to have friends around to see every now and then. Since yesterday was Halloween we had a little "trick or treat" thing in our room where people would come and eat candy, haha, it was pretty fun. Gym is a good break from everything. We get it for an hour every day. We play basketball and volleyball and it is sweet. We also watched Elder Holland's talks from some conferences and he is a stud! There is a store here with stuff like pens, some food, and hygiene stuff so you don’t really need to worry, Mom.

How is everything going there? The weather has been nice here except the first day I got here it was snowing. There are some negative things about this place, like waking up at 6:15 every morning. Oh boy it’s not that sweet! I am sure glad we did mission prep because I am ahead of most the people here. It is pretty weird how everyone is so happy and loves you, plus they all call you Elder which is strange, haha.

All I can really think about that I need are a few more garments because there is no store here and with gym daily I dirty more than I have, I would also like some more photos of our family and stuff because mine didn't turn out very well. You could always send me some jerky too cuz it’s a hot commodity. Also send me that camera memory card that I accidentally left on the kitchen counter, and then I will send you my memory card. You should have Macy and Breck give me there address because it would be easier to write them and read if it was a letter cuz I am rushed on time at the computer. That’s why there are probably typos in this letter that I haven't noticed. I hope everything is going well back home and Dre is still alive :)

Love you guys like crazy!

Ingat (goodbye)

nagpapasalamat po namin para sa pamilya ako (I am so thankful for my family!)

PS...I have spent a little more money than expected :)

Love You

MTC

I entered the MTC today, October 27.  My family cried, but I felt excited to learn and meet people.

Fun Times at My Farewell Luncheon

- Courtney Rogers, Alyssa Bauman, me, Gentry Rynearson, Hailey Hammer, Courtney Graciolett -

My Buddies at Farewell Luncheon

James Wulfenstein, Kyle Sherwin, Max Sherwin, me, Robert Patterson, Jake Mills, AJ Molina 

Farewell Luncheon - October 17, 2010

                      - Dad, mom, me, Brittney, Macy & Breck -

My farewell talk

I have always thought I wanted to serve a mission, I admired the young men I saw leave their families for two years to serve. But I'm going to be honest, as I got closer to the age of a missionary I finally realized how hard it was to decide between school and college life versus serving a mission.  When I was a little boy I dreamed of going to New Zealand on my mission.  Once I even told my mom, “If I don’t get to go to New Zealand, I’m not going!”  When I eventually did put in my papers to serve a mission, I was prepared for pretty much anywhere.  I knew that I would be sent wherever I’m needed most.  Apparently the Lord needs me in the Philippines.  Since receiving my call I’ve learned a lot about the Filipino people and I’m looking forward to serving them.

I’ve been working to prepare for my mission for a long time.  When I was a little boy in primary I sung “I Hope They Call Me on a Mission” and I meant it.  I’ve always felt that it would be a privilege to go on a mission. I believe that it is my responsibility to help others learn what I know.

My preparation for a mission has come from Primary, Young Mens, Scouts, Seminary, my family, and from my friends.  I have read the scriptures, attended family home evening, mission prep classes and temple prep classes.  I have read many books and listened to talks in conference and church meetings.  All of these have helped me prepare for my mission.  These things, along with my mission will help prepare me to be a better son, husband, father, friend and teacher.  These experiences have all blessed me in so many ways.  

In April’s General Priesthood Session, President Thomas S. Monson gave a message titled “Preparation Brings Blessings”  In this talk, he suggested that young men prepare for mission service by living the standards published in “For the Strength of Youth”.  This booklet provides basic standards to help young people make good decisions.  The first presidency has promised us that if we keep these standards, we will have greater wisdom and skill and that we will bear trials with greater courage.  They also promise that the youth who follow the guidance will have the help of the Holy Ghost.  They will feel good about themselves and will be positive influences in the life of others.  They will also be worthy to go to the temple.  These are great blessing that are promised to the youth who keep the standards outlined in the Strength for the Youth pamphlet.  The traits in For the Strength of the Youth include Agency & Accountability, Gratitude, Education, Family, Friends, Dress & Appearance, etc.   

In addition to “For the Strength of the Youth”, I have often used the guidelines outlined in President Gordon B. Hinckley’s book “Way to Be”. The “B’s” includes nine qualities that will help prepare you to be the best you can be.

The first “Be” is, “Be Grateful”. Given that so many of the talks at this last conference focused on gratitude and that this is the Thanksgiving season, we should be especially grateful for all the wonderful blessings that are ours. We should be thankful for the tremendous opportunities that we might have. We should be thankful for our parents, who care so much about you and have worked so very hard to provide for you. In most cases, there are no people who care more about you than your parents. We should thank the Lord. Thank him for his great example. Read about him and read his words. Read them quietly and ponder them.  Our gratitude will encourage others to be grateful in return.

This seems like a good time for me to tell my parents… I love you more than you can know. My parents work so hard to allow me to have anything I could ever want. But I have actually been blessed by the lord with multiple sets of wonderful parents! My friends parents played a huge role in my life and I want to thank them so much! Macy and Breck, you mean the world to me.  Brittney, even though I like to tease you, I think you are amazing and I’ll miss you.  You’ll be a young women when I get home!    I’m grateful for my grandparents.  You all have set an example of unconditional love and service.  Thank you.  To my extended family…. Uncles, aunts and cousins, you’ve taught me more than you’ll ever know.  I enjoy our camp outs and get-togethers so much.  I admire you so much and I’ll look forward to seeing what you’ll accomplish while I’m gone.  I’m especially thankful for those teachers who put up with me in Primary, Young Mens, Seminary and Scouts.  I probably didn’t show my appreciation at the time, but I hope you’ll know that I really do appreciate all that you done to help me. I have many good friends and neighbors that I need to thank.  You know who you are!  Thank you for being there and for your support.  I’m especially grateful for my friend’s parents who treated me like their own.  And for Mandy who taught me and several of my friends mission prep.  Your gift to us missionaries will bless many, many people in the Philippines, Nicaragua, Mississippi, South Africa and throughout the world.  Thank you all for coming today.      

The second “Be”, is “Be Smart”.  We need all the education we can get. Sacrifice anything that is needed to be sacrificed to do the work of the world. The world will, in large measure, pay you what it thinks you are worth, and your worth will increase as you gain education and proficiency in your chosen field. Train your mind and your hands to become an influence for good as you go forward with your life. As you do so, you will bring honor to yourself and to your family. Be smart, don’t be foolish. Be wise preparing for what lies ahead. It matters not whether you choose to be a businessman, a professor, a carpenter, a computer programmer, a doctor, or to follow any other honorable vocation. The important thing is that you qualify to be useful to society. It is so easy to become a druggie or dropout but On the other hand, it is so challenging and so satisfying to become a producer or builder-of not only building or careers, but lives. You don’t have to be a genius to do great things. The important work of the world is done, for the most part, by ordinary people who do their work in an extraordinary way.

The third “B” is "Be Involved".  When I say be involved I mean be involved in good works. Or, in other words, be willing to work. Most of us tend to be inherently lazy. We would rather play than work. We would rather loaf than work. A little play and a little loafing are good from time to time but it is work that spells the difference in the life of a man or woman.

In this book President Hinckley shares a story of when he was serving his mission in England. He and his companion have doors slammed in their faces, dogs chase them and they experience numerous other distractions.  President Hinckley began to think his time and money would be better spent working back at home. He wrote his father a letter with his concerns and his father wrote back a simple letter. It read. “Dear Gordon; I received your letter. I have only one suggestion- forget yourself and go to work.” ..I know there will be times I feel like this as well but I will try to use Pres. Hinckley’s fathers advice.

The fourth “Be” is “Be Clean”. Everything is better when it is clean. And that includes the way we live our lives. Sometimes it may be hard to maintain a clean atmosphere. Dirt is in movies, it is on TV, it is in the radio, it is in popular literature. We cannot afford to watch or listen to it. Avoid it. We can’t watch or listen to degrading things without expecting them to affect us in destructive ways.  

The fifth “B”, is “be true”. Be true to who you are. Be true to the parents. Be true to the family.  Be true to your friends. But most of all be true to yourself.  President Monson said “whenever a difficult decision must be made, never ask yourself “what will others think”, but rather “what will I think of myself?” 

The sixth “Be” is “be positive”. Wise is a man or woman who can acknowledge mistakes and become better as a result. Don’t always be looking for the dark side of life. Look for the good. There is so much of the sweet and the decent and the positive to build upon. Cultivate an attitude of optimism. Know that god is watching over you, that he will hear your prayers and will answer them, that he loves you.

The seventh “Be” is “be humble”. I’m sorry to my friends, they wont like this section but I have to read it! If we are without conceit and pride and arrogance we can be taught. What greater thing could we ask for? I learned much about humility while playing sports.  I learned that being humble does not mean being weak, it means being teachable.  Being humble doesn’t require us to be trampled upon. It means acknowledging where our strengths and abilities come from. It also means recognizing that we are not here on earth to see how important we can become, but to see how much of a difference we can make in the lives of others.  I have also learned about humility from the examples of Bishop Bennett, Bishop Bundy and from Brother Kurt Nelson and Brother Bri Leavitt.  I’m grateful for your humble service and I hope that someday I’ll be able to serve others like each of you serve. 

The eight “Be” is “Be Still”. The world is so noisy. There are voices everywhere trying to influence us. We all need time to think. We need to drown out the clamor and noise and just be quiet. We need time to ponder, and to contemplate the deeper things of life. Sometimes our lives are just so busy, we run from one thing to another. Get up from surfing one more web site, from watching one more TV show and spend a little time reading and thinking and simply being still.  My dad has taught me to love the lakes and mountains.  To love wildlife and to experience nature.  I find it easy to “Be Still” when I’m in the mountains. 

The last “B” is “Be Prayerful”. We cannot do it alone. We need God’s help. We all come to realize this as we experience trials. We need to live so that with a good conscience we can speak with God. We can thank him and express to him our desires.  Prayer will change your life and bring you peace. It will give you direction and guidance. I like to think of prayer as having a conversation with my father.... only this conversation is with my father in heaven.

President Hinkley in his book “Way to Be” and President Monson in his address to the General Priesthood session both emphathsize that preparation brings blessings.  I can testify that I’ve been blessed when I’ve followed these simple guidelines. Happiness comes from living the way the Lord wants you to live and from service to God and others.   

D&C 64:33 states:

“Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing for ye are laying the foundations of a great work.  And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.”

It is my prayer that we will each be adequately prepared for what lies ahead.  That we will use the essential standards our Heavenly Father has given us to guide our lives toward good.  That we will be worthy of the blessings promised us.

Testimony

Farewell

My farewell will be October 17 at 1:00 at the Diamond Valley Stake Center.  After sacrament there will be a luncheon at my house.  Everyone is invited.